Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print National study finds post-traumatic stress disorder common among injured patients

National study finds post-traumatic stress disorder common among injured patients

September 11, 2008

Suffering a traumatic injury can have serious and long-lasting implications for a patient's mental health, according to the largest-ever U.S. study evaluating the impact of traumatic injury. Researchers from the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, the University of Washington, and the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that post-traumatic stress disorder and depression were very common among patients assessed one year after suffering a serious injury. They also found that injured patients diagnosed with PTSD or depression were six times more likely to not have returned to work in the year following the injury.

The study followed 2707 injured patients from 69 hospitals across the country, and found 20.7% had post-traumatic stress disorder and 6.6% had depression one year after the injury. Both disorders were independently associated with significant impairments across all functional outcomes: activities of daily living, health status, and the return to usual activities, including work. Patients who had one disorder were three times less likely to be working one year after injury, and patients with both disorders were five to six times less likely to have returned to work.




The findings have important implications for U.S. acute care hospitals. Smaller scale investigations in acute care medical settings suggest that evidence-based psychotherapy and collaborative care interventions can reduce the symptoms of PTSD and related conditions among injured trauma survivors. "This study highlights the importance of ongoing studies of PTSD and depression screening, and intervention procedures for injured patients treated in acute care hospitals nationwide," said Douglas Zatzick, M.D., principal investigator and a psychiatrist at the University of Washington. "If studies of PTSD and depression establish the effectiveness of screening and intervention procedures, American College of Surgeons policy requirements similar to the recent mandate for alcohol screening and brief intervention could be considered." The American College of Surgeons now requires that level I trauma centers must have on-site alcohol screening and brief intervention services as a requisite for trauma center accreditation.

University of Washington - Harborview Medical Center



Related Post-traumatic Stress Current Events and Post-traumatic Stress News Articles Post-traumatic Stress Current Events and Post-traumatic Stress News RSS Post-traumatic Stress Current Events and Post-traumatic Stress News RSS
Expectant brains help predict anxiety treatment success
A network of emotion-regulating brain regions implicated in the pathological worry that can grip patients with anxiety disorders may also be useful for predicting the benefits of treatment.

Vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder runs in families, study shows
Earthquakes have aftershocks - not just the geological kind but the mental kind as well. Just like veterans of war, earthquake survivors can experience post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.

Ultrasound shown to exert remote control of brain circuits
In a twist on nontraditional uses of ultrasound, a group of neuroscientists at Arizona State University has developed pulsed ultrasound techniques that can remotely stimulate brain circuit activity.

Large hormone dose may reduce risk of post-traumatic stress disorder
A new study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers found that a high dose of cortisone could help reduce the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Researchers Investigate Impact of Stress on Police Officers' Physical and Mental Health
Policing is dangerous work, and the danger lurks not on the streets alone.

'Hub' of fear memory formation identified in brain cells
A protein required for the earliest steps in embryonic development also plays a key role in solidifying fear memories in the brains of adult animals, scientists have revealed. An apparent "hub" for changes in the connections between brain cells, beta-catenin could be a potential target for drugs to enhance or interfere with memory formation.

PTSD endures over time in family members of ICU patients
Family members may experience post-traumatic stress as many as six months after a loved one's stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), according to a study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of California, San Francisco.

Study offers new insights into teenagers and anxiety disorders
Can scientists predict who will develop anxiety disorders years in advance? UCLA psychology professor Michelle Craske thinks so. She is four years into an eight-year study evaluating 650 students, who were 16 when the study began, to identify risk factors for the development of anxiety and depression - the most comprehensive study of its kind.

National study finds post-traumatic stress disorder common among injured patients
Suffering a traumatic injury can have serious and long-lasting implications for a patient's mental health, according to the largest-ever U.S. study evaluating the impact of traumatic injury.

Physical and sexual abuse linked to asthma in Puerto Rican kids
Children who are physically or sexually abused are more than twice as likely to have asthma as their peers, according to a recent study of urban children in Puerto Rico. In fact, physical and sexual abuse was second only to maternal asthma in all the risk factors tested, including paternal asthma and indicators of socioeconomic status.
More Post-traumatic Stress Current Events and Post-traumatic Stress News Articles


Healing from Post-Traumatic Stress
by Monique Lang

An effective, life-affirming guide to help you get through your traumatic experience. Written by an experienced psychotherapist who. has helped hundreds of trauma victims in her. private practice, workshops, and lectures, this unique,. progressive approach to healing is designed to help you cope with the aftermath of a stressful event. An informative guide with a user-friendly format, this...



Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook
by Glenn R. Schiraldi

For the millions who suffer from the effects of a traumatic experience, this book offers help and hope and provides the diverse elements needed for lasting recovery. Trauma can take many forms, from the most disturbing of circumstances such as witnessing a murder or violent crime to the subtle trauma of living with the effects of abuse or alcoholism. Deep emotional wounds often seem like they...



Conquering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Newest Techniques for Overcoming Symptoms, Regaining Hope, and Getting Your Life Back
by Victoria Lemle Beckner, John B. Arden

More than 13 million Americans experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and one out of 13 adults will develop it in their lifetime. Recent worldwide crises and events including the Iraq war; the September 11th attacks; numerous Columbine-like events; the Catholic Church child molestation scandal; and the Katrina tragedy in New Orleans, continue to present thousands more PTSD cases each year in...



Veterans's PTSD Handbook: How to File and Collect on Claims for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
by John D. Roche

From the author of The Veteran’s Survival Guide, The Veteran’s PTSD Handbook addresses the obstacles that veterans face when filing for benefits related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One of the greatest obstacles, John Roche writes, is establishing a connection between a veteran’s service and PTSD. Because both combat stressors and noncombat stressors can cause PTSD and because...



Pastoral Care for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Healing the Shattered Soul
by Harold G Koenig, Dalene C. Fuller Rogers

Provide effective care for the members of your congregation suffering with PTSD!This vital book is an overview of the nature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It examines the causes, manifestations, and problems of PTSD as they relate to a person socially, spiritually, emotionally, physically, and psychologically. Stressing hope, healing, and compassion, Pastoral Care for Post-Traumatic...



Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder For Dummies (For Dummies (Psychology & Self Help))
by Mark Goulston

As Dr. Mark Goulston tells his patients who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), "The fact that you’re still afraid doesn’t mean you’re in any danger. It just takes the will and the way for your heart and soul to accept what the logical part of your mind already knows." In Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder For Dummies, Dr. Goulston helps you find the will and shows you the way. ...

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Assessment, Differential Diagnosis and Forensic Evaluation



Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography, and Annotated Research Guide to Internet References
by ICON Health Publications

In March 2001, the National Institutes of Health issued the following warning: "The number of Web sites offering health-related resources grows every day. Many sites provide valuable information, while others may have information that is unreliable or misleading." Furthermore, because of the rapid increase in Internet-based information, many hours can be wasted searching, selecting, and...

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children (Progress in Psychiatry Series)
by Spencer, M.D. Eth, Robert S. Pynoos

Since the inclusion of post-traumatic stress disorder as an Axis I diagnosis in DSM-III, the investigation of PTSD in children has developed into an exciting new area of psychiatric enquiry. This volume assembles the leading participants in this newly emerging field in a discussion of the often profound impact of traumatic occurrences on the lives of...



War and the Soul: Healing Our Nation's Veterans from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
by Edward Tick

This book teaches how truly to heal war trauma in veterans, their families, and our communities. Drawing on history, mythology, and soldiers' stories from World War I to Iraq, it affirms the deep damage war does to the psyche and addresses how to reclaim the soul from war's...

© 2009 BrightSurf.com